How to unlock a phone on each and every carrier

Free yourself! How to unlock a phone from the icy hands of your wireless carrier.

Your two-year contract is finally up, and you want to save some money by bringing your phone to a carrier with lower rates. Sadly, odds are that your phone is locked to your carrier, which prevents you from jumping ship and using your phone on another network. Thankfully, legislation and the Federal Communications Commission have made the process of unlocking your phone easier than ever. More importantly, it superseded an earlier decision made by the Library of Congress that interpreted cell phone unlocking as a violation of copyright (a ruling that actually saw phone unlocking rise in popularity). Cell phone unlocking, in other words, is legally permissible.

Just because unlocking your phone is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy to do, though. Let’s dive into how to unlock a phone and break free of your ties to a carrier.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Before you set your mind on unlocking your phone, you’ll need to keep in mind that doing so isn’t a fast process. Unlocking your phone can take several phone calls and hours of work. It’s also a good idea to unlock your phone before you leave your current carrier.

With that in mind, there are a few nuggets of information you’ll need:

The account holder’s name and account number
IMEI number of your device
Your phone number
The account holder’s Social Security number or password
A completed contract and/or device payment plan
Overseas deployment papers, if you are in the military and want to unlock your phone before your contract is up
Now that you have that information, let’s see how each carrier handles unlocking your phone.

Unlocking a Verizon phone
Even though Verizon uses CDMA instead of GSM for channel access, most of Big Red’s devices come with an unlocked SIM card slot. According to Verizon, its 4G LTE devices aren’t locked, and if you want to bring one of them to another carrier, there is no code you need to rejig the phone’s radios for other networks.

Even though SIM-equipped Verizon phones can be used on AT&T, T-Mobile, or other GSM carriers, the phone will need to have roaming GSM radios in order to make phone calls and send texts in the United States. While most recent Verizon handsets will work just fine on American GSM bands, your mileage will vary when it comes to LTE support.

Verizon doesn’t have an online method to make an unlock request, but you can call 888-294-6804 and request a SIM unlock.

The procedure’s a bit different for postpaid 3G devices on Verizon’s network. Most aren’t locked, but require that you enter a code — either “000000” or “123456” — to enable third-party cellular compatibility. Verizon’s specially branded World Devices, on the other hand, can’t be unlocked without the assistance of a store tech, which you can request by dialling the company’s support line at 800-922-0204.

Unlocking a prepaid device can get a bit dicier. A vast majority of the prepaid 3G phones on Verizon can be unlocked with the code “000000” or “123456,” but Verizon’s off-the-shelf Phone-in-the-Box prepaid handsets are locked into the network for 12 months after activation. And, as with Verizon’s World Phones, you have to call Verizon support at 888-294-6804 in order to start the process.

Unlocking an AT&T phone
The process of unlocking a phone from AT&T is a bit more complicated than with Verizon — but while you’ll need to jump through a few more hoops, it’s still not a difficult process to complete.

Here’s the checklist of prerequisites you’ll need to meet in order to unlock your AT&T handset:

You must be a current or former AT&T subscriber.
The device in question must be from AT&T.
If you’re a current customer, your current contract or instalment plan must be fully paid off (including early termination fees). If not, pay off your plan early and wait 24 hours before making a request.
It must not have been reported lost or stolen or involved in fraud.
It must be attached to an account with “good standing” — i.e., one not associated with fraudulent activity.
It must not be active on a different AT&T customer’s account.
It must have been active for at least 60 days, with “no past due or unpaid balance.”
If you’ve upgraded early, you must wait for the 14-day “buyer’s remorse” period (30 days for business customers) to pass before unlocking your old phone.
Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers an unlock request form you can fill out online. You can either enter your AT&T mobile number — or if you’ve already switched, the IMEI number from your AT&T device will also do. After submitting this form, you’ll have 24 hours to click the link within the confirmation email sent to you, then AT&T will send instructions for unlocking your device via email within two business days of the request being made. AT&T also no longer has a hard unlock limit per year, so unless you’re sending a hundred unlock requests a month you shouldn’t need to worry about being flagged as suspicious.

In the case of prepaid devices (anything on AT&T Prepaid/GoPhone), AT&T requires that they’ve been active for at least six months.

If you’re in the military, you can scratch off the third requirement on AT&T’s list — you won’t need to complete your contract or instalment plans, so long as you’re able to email AT&T your TCS or PCS (Temporary/permanent change of station) documents.

The network offers limited unlock support via its support line, 888-211-4727 (or 855-639-4644 for Sprint Forward members) but doesn’t officially unlock handsets over the phone.

Unlocking a T-Mobile phone
There are several things to keep in mind if you want to unlock your T-Mobile phone:

It must be a device from T-Mobile.
It must not have been reported lost, stolen, or blocked.
It must be attached to an account that has not been cancelled, and is in “good standing”.
It must have been active at least 40 days on the requesting line.
If the device is on a service contract, at least 18 consecutive monthly payments must have been made.
If using T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan, or if your phone is leased through JUMP! On Demand, all payments must be made and the device must be fully paid for.
You’ve made fewer than two unlock requests, per line, in a single year.
T-Mobile may request to see proof of purchase.
If your handset is a prepaid model, it’ll need to have been active for at least one year, and the account associated with it must have had more than $100 in refills.

So long as you satisfy those requirements, you can use the T-Mobile Mobile Device Unlock Android app to complete the unlocking process. Alternatively, you can unlock your phone through a live chat with a T-Mobile customer representative, or by calling 611 from a T-Mobile device, or 1-877-746-0909 from any other phone.

It must be a device from Sprint.
It must be domestic SIM Unlock capable (if unlocking for the domestic United States).
It must not have been reported lost, stolen or blocked, or associated with other fraudulent activity.
It must be attached to an account in “good standing”.
It must have been active at least 50 days on the requesting line.
There must be no outstanding or pending payments or fees.
If you’re unlocking for international use, you must ensure the device is capable of international SIM unlock.

Sprint Forward prepaid devices also have some additional requirements:

The device must not have been reported as lost or stolen or otherwise flagged as ineligible to be unlocked.
The device has been active on the associated account for at least 12 months with the account active at that time.
Sprint Forward devices also need to be unlocked by a customer service representative — but don’t worry, you can contact Sprint Prepaid Customer Care by dialling 855-639-4644.

If you’re a member of the U.S. military deployed overseas and you want your Sprint phone unlocked, the aforementioned requirements still apply. In addition, you and any relatives on the same account must be active members of a branch of the United States military and need to have overseas deployment papers, if applicable.

There’s a massive caveat when it comes to Sprint’s unlocking capabilities, however. Because the carrier, like Verizon, relies on a relatively obscure networking technology (CDMA), Sprint-branded phones that have been manufactured with a SIM slot within the past few years can’t be unlocked to accept a different carrier’s SIM card.

Sprint says that domestic SIM card-based devices launched after 2015 will automatically unlock when they become eligible. Alternatively, you can request an unlock either through an online chat with a customer representative or by calling 888-211-4727 (*2 from a Sprint device).

Uniquely, Sprint offers short-term unlocking for international travel. Assuming you meet the above requirements, you can log into your online account and navigate to the relevant page. Simply click on the My Account tab, pick your phone from the resulting list, and select Unlock device to use int’l SIM from the Manage this device drop-down menu. If you’d rather have a Sprint rep walk you through the process, though, you can request an over-the-phone unlock at 888-226-7212.

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